Here are some key differences between Mechanize and Selenium/Webkit for browser automation and testing: Mechanize: - Pure Ruby, no external dependencies - Very fast as it doesn't launch a browser - No support for JavaScript - Easy to programmatically interact with forms, links, etc. Selenium/Webkit: - Requires a browser to be launched (Firefox, Chrome, etc.) - Support JavaScript execution and dynamic content - Slower than Mechanize due to actual browser operations - Can test browser-side functionality like CSS rendering - Easy to programmatically interact and automate browser In summary: - Mechanize is faster but lacks JavaScript support - Selenium